In his concluding address as outgoing Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Jamaican Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness highlighted significant advancements in regional integration and collective resilience during his tenure. The year 2025 witnessed CARICOM’s strengthened unity despite confronting catastrophic natural disasters, particularly Hurricane Melissa, which demonstrated the Caribbean family’s unwavering solidarity through regional and international support systems.
A landmark achievement emerged from the July Conference of Heads of Government in Jamaica, where four member states—Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines—committed to implementing full free movement of persons effective October 2025. This pioneering ‘concentric circles’ integration model enables willing nations to deepen cooperation while maintaining flexibility for broader participation.
CARICOM successfully navigated shifting global trade dynamics through coordinated advocacy with the CARICOM Private Sector Organization and strategic international partners. Enhanced air connectivity bolstered intra-regional trade, while targeted initiatives improved food and nutrition security across the Community.
The bloc maintained a unified diplomatic front at high-level international forums including the UN General Assembly, G20 Summit, and CELAC-EU Summit. This coordinated foreign policy approach strengthened crisis response capabilities and amplified the region’s voice on global platforms.
Security remained paramount with the adoption of the Montego Bay Declaration on Transnational Organized Crime and Gangs, recognizing the inextricable link between security and sustainable development. While climate negotiations at COP30 fell short of Small Island Developing States’ urgent needs, CARICOM reaffirmed its commitment to the 1.5°C goal and acknowledged the critical work of regional institutions including the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre and CDEMA.
Strategic engagement with Africa expanded through the Second Africa-CARICOM Summit in Addis Ababa, fostering collaboration on trade, investment, cultural exchange, and global advocacy including reparations discourse. CARICOM sustained its advocacy for Haiti, contributing to UN Security Council actions and supporting preparations for democratic elections in 2026.
The Community reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace based on international law and peaceful dispute resolution. While acknowledging member states’ sovereign perspectives may differ, Dr. Holness emphasized that institutional mandates and economic interdependence remain foundational to regional cohesion amidst evolving geopolitical complexities.
As leadership transitions to St. Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia, the outgoing Chair expressed confidence in CARICOM’s enduring integration model and the Secretariat’s continued professional service to member states.